December 21, 2009

December 21, 2009 was a sad day in our little corner of the world. Spitz, my brother Joe's cat, died at 9:15a.m. Joe and I spent the last 3 hours of his life with him, Casey joined us for the last hour. It was such a difficult time, watching him struggle for breath at the end. We hoped he would have gone quickly, but he didn't; he is now no longer in any pain and he isn't suffering. He was a loved little boy!

Spitz joined our family in 1996. Mom told Joe that if he got his grades up, he could have a cat. One day, mom saw some wild kittens sitting on our back fence and told dad to go get one for Joey. Dad was trying to catch a gray fluffy cat and came up with Spitz when the others scrambled away before dad could get there. Dad named him...Spitz. Spitz was chosen because when dad brought him in, he was spitting and trying to claw dad. He was soooo tiny. He fit in the palm of our hands.

We put him in a tall box and would pet him to tame him. He eventually came around and became a tame kitten.

Dad tells a story about Spitz, how dad would grab him and flop him over and grab his belly...soon, Spitz would walk up to dad and flop over and try to grab dad in play. The boys also tried to get him to fight all the time. I, myself, am allergic to cats and needed him not to scratch every time someone went to pet him. When dad and Casey drove to Michigan, I tamed him again and he really only fought with Joe after that.

Also, when he was a kitten, dad brought in a fishing pole with a plastic worm on it. We would cast it down the hall and Spitz would chase it back up, as we reeled it in. Eventually, if we wanted to play, all we had to do is pull the line out, making a sound as it unwound and he would come running. Eventually, dad put the pole away; later in life, when dad would get the pole out to set up for fishing, and he pulled the line, Spitz would still come looking to play.

Spitz was a sickly cat most of his life. He would throw up and throw up and he would loose weight and look terrible and then a few months later, he would be healthy, full of fire and glowing coat. He loved to sit in the sun. His fur would gain a red tinge in the sun. The past few years, Spitz would go roam the neighborhood, disappearing for days on end. About three weeks ago, he became quite ill again, loosing weight. He was so thin, loosing weight each day. He became more lethargic as the days went on. We brought him in the house and fixed a box for him to sleep in. At night, we'd put it in the bathroom, so if he messed, it would be easier to clean (and not on the carpet!).

Approximately 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec 20, Spitz walked into Joe's room, where his box was and crawled up into it. When Joe went to bed, he transfered the box to the bathroom again. At 6a.m., I went to the restroom and noticed that Spitz was struggling to breath slightly. When I moved his head, it was completely lethargic and he didn't respond. I went in and woke Joe up and told him he needed to come. He took the box into the living room and laid down on the floor next to the box, I sat in the recliner. For some time, Joe held his dying body. Finally at about 8a.m. he started struggling more. He would gasp every so often for breath, breathing his last at 9:15 a.m.

He was Joe's best friend, but we all loved him!

Rest in Peace dear black baby boy!!